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Recently, I spent 3 nights with my wife, mom, and uncle at the almost all-inclusive, Miraval Berkshires Wellness Resort in 3 separate rooms. While my uncle used his own points, I used my Hyatt points for the other rooms since this was a birthday present for my mom. And she absolutely loved it. The rest of us did too.
There are currently three Miraval resorts: Miraval Arizona near Tucson (see my review here), Miraval Austin, and Miraval Berkshires. Miraval resorts are unlike most other resorts. For one, they allow internet devices only in your room or in designated device-use areas (but you can use your phone to take pictures). They don’t allow tipping. All meals are included, but alcoholic drinks are not. And they offer many free classes and activities including exercise classes, yoga, hiking, cooking, photography, and more. They also give each guest $175 per day to spend on paid activities (spa treatments, private dining, private classes, and various activities that go beyond the free ones).
Miraval Berkshires Wellness Resort: Bottom Line
This is a great resort as long as you go in with the right expectations. We had a great stay. We were each busy every day with activities, exercise classes, massages, etc. And it was great to get back together for meals and to talk about what we liked most each day. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. The food was fine, but not nearly as good as we experienced at the Miraval Arizona in January. On the other hand, I thought that this Miraval had better off-property activity options, and more consistently good staff for leading those activities.
The only major sour note here comes from expectations driven by the property’s cash rates. Guests who pay cash rather than points often pay over $2,000 per night for two. At those rates I’d expect a true luxury experience with incredible food and opulent accommodations, but the reality is not that. Guest rooms are fairly spartan (probably by design, but still…) and the food was fine but hardly 5 star. These things didn’t bother us since we knew what to expect and had paid with points, but I’d be surprised if many cash paying guests weren’t disappointed.
Note that we’ve published a guest review of this property before. You can find the previous review here.
Details
- Inclusions: Almost everything is included whether paying cash or points:
- $175 nightly resort credits per person towards spa sessions and paid activities (many activities are free, but some charge a fee). Credits cannot be used towards alcoholic drinks except when using the credits to cover activities like cocktail making or wine tasting.
- Unlimited activities such as group yoga and meditation classes, fitness classes, photography classes, etc.
- Unlimited meals, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages
- Complimentary shuttle airport transfers from Bradley International Airport (BDL) and Pittsfield Municipal Airport (Exec jet services).
- Welcome Gift of a Miraval tote bag or sling bag & reusable water canteen per guest.
- Points Price: Miraval’s standard room award pricing is as follows:
- 1 guest: 40K off-peak, 45K standard, 50K peak
- 2 guests in 1 room: 57.5K off-peak, 65K standard, 72K peak
- Cash Price: Varies. The cash rate is often over $2,000 per night double-occupancy.
- Points Value: Excellent
- Resort Fee: 23% of room charge after taxes. Insane. Fortunately, this fee is not applied to point award stays.
- Tipping: Not expected / not allowed (great feature!)
- Parking: Free self parking.
- Pets: Pets are not allowed.
- Children: Children under 18 are not allowed.
- Housekeeping: Daily housekeeping service.
- Turndown service: None
- Hyatt Elite Benefits: There isn’t much in the way of elite recognition here since everything is included for everyone.
- Would I stay again? Yes.
Photos and Captions Follow
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Appreciate the detailed write-up. I love Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires and get a fantastic deal through a travel agent. I really enjoy it in the winter for the outdoor activities. It’s a great solo trip. I also love Miraval in Tucson. I’ll save my points for the Tucson location. Cash prices seem exorbitant now much more than a few years ago.
I wonder how this compares to Canyon Ranch – also nearby in Lennox area
One guest that I talked to said she had been to both and liked Miraval better (but of course I was less likely to run into anyone who liked Canyon Ranch better since they’d more likely be there)
Yes I’m sorry I need to disagree. With everything. Miravel came into this beautiful beautiful east coast landmark and made sure none of the former clientele could come back. We have been going to Cranwell for over 20 years, and unless we want to pay $2200 a night – everyone we know was forced out. We have stayed several times, over five times at the Miravel in Tucson, and it is just a completely different feeling. We drive from Greenwich to Lenox frequently, and we always love to support the local town and business owners. However, Miravel basically forces people to buy into their program and only eat on property, eliminating the business owners and Lenox restaurants. We toured Miravel when it first opened and I was just so disheartening to see what they did and the basic rooms, not impressed at all. Before you write reviews you should take in the whole town and see how they took business away from local restaurant owners. Unless you were a frequent guest at the former Cranwell, you have no idea what you’re missing and what they took away and how they eliminate hundreds of people that loved the experience a Cranwell.
With all due respect, we come here for reviews of the property — the rooms, food, amenities. What happened to the larger community is beyond the scope of this blog.
Great, thorough review. I stayed there for 5 nights a few months ago and I have previously stayed several times at the Tuscon Miraval.I love them both. I agree that the instructors are better at The Bershires, especially for the outings outside the property. I like the rooms, property, and the ambiance better in Tuscon.
One thing you didn’t mention, because it wouldn’t matter to you, is that the machine that makes coffee drink at the Berkshires cafe has the option to add oat milk instead of dairy. I had never seen that before, and being a vegan, made use of it many times during my stay.
As a vegan myself, it’s great to know that there are vegan options!
On a scale from 1 to 10, how comfy was the phone bed? Also, do they do phone bed turndown service? Asking for my friend (iPhone).
I’m a humble android mommy and I worry that my phone would become spoiled and start expecting that sort of treatment at home. It’s all about managing expectations.
I can’t imagine paying $1200-$1400 worth of points for a room here. You could string together some incredible experiences for that price….what a waste of money. Great for the typical American who doesn’t get out much though
Maybe it’s not your scene. I’ve done Berkshires twice and Arizona once, and each stay was well worth it. I get that it’s hard to imagine why – as Greg accurately notes, the room & board is nothing to get too excited about (although I’ve had some very good meals). The experiences are key and hard to replicate. Yes, you could “string together” the activities they offer, but not at the same level as what they offer on-site. You get to know the staff over multiple experiences and they pull off getting you into the spirit of the place without making you feel like you’ve joined a yoga retreat cult. I always leave feeling relaxed and challenged in a way you wouldn’t get from staying at even a super high end resort and paying for a bunch of a la carte activities.
Would I pay the rack rates? No. But I agree with Greg that the point value is solid.
Also, you have the wrong idea of who appreciates places like this. I don’t think I’ve met anyone at Miraval who you could describe as “the typical American who doesn’t get out much”. Quite the opposite actually.
I completely agree-I’ve been to Tucson once and Austin thrice and I consider myself fairly well traveled. It’s an all inclusive-and the food reflects this but the classes, fitness options and spa are all wonderful and if one approaches with an open mind, can be quite interesting. I’m really excited to try the Berkshires next spring 🙂
It’s an idea and in a few years no one will like Their Idea so change or Go Broke,
Shame you booked with points. My company has corporate rate that is like $300 per night and the rate is exempt from any fees, although we do not get the freebies that you got.
My husband and I stayed at the Tucson Miraval about 8 years ago. We paid cash, but went during a promotion, so the rate was discounted and we got extra activity credits. It was a great reset for our health. As long as you understand that this is a residential spa, focused on physical and mental health, you’ll be in the right mindset to enjoy a stay. I didn’t think it offered the fanciest food I’ve ever eaten, but it was healthy and tasty. I still make a scrambled tofu dish I first had at Miraval.